Music and Drama.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXI, Issue VII, 15 August 1903, Page 456

Music and Drama.

The death is announced in Alelbourna cl Signora Aiajcroni, the well-known actress. Aliss Nellie. Stewart .ha® been having packed houses in Sydney. The De Wvnnes have not as vet been engaged for -Nev. Zealand by Mr P. R. Dis. ' , Mr Chori*.-, Kenningham, Hie wellknown tenor, is to settle down in AlelImurne as.a teacher of singing and a <or.i-ert singer. ’ » The SheridhiV ( ’imiedy. Company has Li eu, made very’ welcome in the South. Photos of the "Lady Slavey” sijow her to be a decidedly interesting young person. Biand Holt has just -produced “Gviiig the Pace” in Melbourne. 'the genial Bland’s latest is much on the lines of his former pieces— a good popular plot and lots of sensation. The distressful fa." jhai Cecil Ward has to wear-a neatly parted top-pieee to preserve the continuity of his hair and his place among juveniles came to light during a performance of "Are You a Mason';” at Napier recently. Desmond, the giddy youth of the piece, inadvertently shifted the hirsute roof and exposed the place where the dome of thought had climbed through Its covering. yj

On V\ edne-day, August 12, a complimentary farewell concert is to be tendered in St. Benedict’s Hall to Miss Pearl Goodyear, who is about to depart to .Melbourne, where she will study for the vaudeville stage. .Miss Goodyear will contribute a song and dance in the first half, and a pedestal dance in the second half. A very good programme has been arranged. and this promising young lady will no doubt be accorded a suitable send-off. Among those who have consented to contribute are Messrs. Ned Fort, Will Diamond, Misses Nolan and Lincoln. The performance will be followed by a da nee. The American Comedy Company explained the vagaries of that unprincipled person, "Mama's New Husband,” for the last time last night, and this evening i August 12) we are to have “Brown's in Town.” The party with the commonplace name was to have introduced the company to Aucklanders, but a mistake was made in cabling, and Mama’s New Hubby carried off that honour. Brown is considered by the members of the company themselves to be a much better piece, and that is why they wanted to make'their debut with him. This being so. we may look for something very good indeed. The Auckland Liedertafel hold their concert in the Choral Hall on Thursday, August 13. This will be without doubt the best programme ever submitted to their subscribers. The Society have secured the valuable assistance of Madame Chambers and Mr M. Hamilton Hodges as soloists. The Liedertafel will, with the help of a first-class orchestra of 30 members, perform the "Desert," the finest work ever written for Liedertafel production. The orchestration is simply delightful. The management have decided to offer any new subscribers joining for this, the seeond concert of the season, extra tickets to make up for the concert already held. No doubt a large number of people will accept this generous offer, and apply to the secretary immediately for tickets and programmes. The Auckland Choral Society’s third concert of the season took place last week after we went to press, “The Ancient Mariner” (Barnett) being the work chosen. The performance calls for little comment oii our part. There were many evidences of want of preparation, and the concert was not by any means up to the standard we have been taught, to expect from the society. Our old friends, the Steele-Payne bellringers. arc at present touring the Auckland suburbs. The strongest piece the Majeronis have put on during the present season at the Opera House is undoubtedly “For the Tenn of His Natural Life,” which has been drawing good business. Fullers’ Entertainers have been receiving a very encouraging share of the entertainment-seeking public during the past week. The new programme contains some excellent items. No brighter, fresher, or more original show has visited the colonies than Stine and Evans' Comedy Company, imported from America by Mr George Stephenson, which commenced its New Zealand season on Thursday, evening at His Majesty’s Theatre, Auckland.. The company is a ch-ver one all round, and nothing quite the same has been seen in the colonies before. The entertainment’ is a judicious and novel blend of comedy and vaudeville, and is more akin to an entertainment of the "Fun on the Bristol” type than anj other to which it could la- compared. Yet it is quite distinct from that ever-popular "draw,” too. and may bo said indeed to be in a class of its own. That that class is enjoyable and was warmly appreciated by the audiences which have filled the theatre since "Mama’s New Husband” was staged was more than made evident by the frequence of the applause and

never-ceasing laughter. ilisa Evans is a soubrette actress of uncoiiunon parts, and there is not an indifferent member in the east. The dancing of the Bueknell’s, the singing of the lady baritone, the comic songs of Mr Bates, are all successful, and it is easy to forecast a most successful tour for the company. Mr Stine himself is a perfect comedian, ami his acting with Miss Evans is exceedingly elever. The Black Family Musicians, of Dunedin, who are well and favourably known in the South, are now in the North Island, and adding to their laurels. Mr George Barnes, Mr George Musgrove's representative, arrived at Wellington on August 6 and will be in Auckland this week to make arrangements for the season of grand comic opera, commencing at his Majesty’s Theatre on the 25th inst. A new musical prodigy has appeared in the form of Master - Victor Harris, the son of Mr and Mrs D. B. Harris, of Woodville. Though - only eight years old, the boy has already taken honours in musical examinations, and it is probable he will be sent Home. News by the American mail says that Mdlle. Dolores was singing in Canada to delighted audiences, when the mail left, just before commencing an Eastern tour. Mr John Prouse, the Wellington baritone, was singing with her, and one paper said of him that he had “a voice full, rich and resonant, used with true artistic guidance.” Judging from a memo, received from the Zealandia llall Company, Invercargill, that place of amusement is becoming very popular with show people. From August 20 onwards there are some very good bookings, including Mark Hambourg and the Westminster Abbey Glee Club. “I love thee! I adore thee!” is beginning to taint the atmosphere of Melbourne. The air is borne faintly ou the breeze; it is wafted at you round corners, and from every second louse in the suburbs you catch indications of the sufferings of an anguished time-payment piano being bea-ten into submission by the energetic young woman who has caught the chief strain of “The Serenade,” remarks a Melbourne paper re the new opera, which has caught on decidedly. ; The clever young Dunedin r.mateur, Miss Amy Murphy, received a substantial offer some time buck front Mr J. C. 'Williamson, who wished her to join his Musical Comedy Company. Domestic arrangements would not permit of her accepting the offer at the time, but it is understood that there is now a probability of her reconsidering her decision. The new Her Majesty’s Theatre leaves a colour memory of sapphire velvet, old gold, dull silver, and various tints of •soft greens and greys. At the auction of seats for opening night, ‘'Colonel” J. P._ Smith, an American oil spring owner, who has been living in Sydney for some time, bought the first four put up for .£ 12 each, and handed tip the money in notes. This gentleman is he who takes a seat for his hat at a theatre and a passage for it on our railways. A freeborn ’Murkan's hat is worth first-class accommodation anywhere (says Sydney “Bulletin.” , Oaniaru is just recovering from a cause celebre. Miss Annie M’Dermott was charged with assaulting Mrs Elizabeth Brady in the local Theatre Royal. It was all about a matinee hat on Mrs Brady's head, whieh happened to obstruct Miss M’Dermott’s view of the stirring production of “H.M.s Pinafore” by the local amateurs. Miss asked Mrs to remove her hat. Mrs took no notice, The hat, according to the defence, resembled the head-gear of the drum-major of the Highland Pipe Band, and Miss thinking it was out of place just then, in the stalls, good-naturedly tapped it. with a walking-stick. The tapping was repeated a good many times during the evening. But the hat held firm. Ibe magistrate ruled a technical offence, and inflicted a flue »f 18/, with £'2 16/ costs.

and some “spiteful male persons” at once subscribed the amount. A unique “bou"-qiiet was presented to Miss Nellie Stewart on the occasion of tiie first production of ‘’Mice and Men” at Sydney Royal. It consisted of three yards of violets in the form of a boa, with ehiffon ties. Speculation was rife as to whether Nellie would wear the floral tribute, but “Little Britain” evidently thought it would have lieen incongruous with her scventeenth-eentury attire. It would. A pianola performance of Lira Lehmann's “In a Persian Garden” was given at Government House. Sydney, one afternoon recently by Messrs H. Birge and Company, when a number of guests were invited by their Excellencies the Gover-nor-General and Lady Tennyson to be present. The soloists were the Misses Violet Mount and Maud Dalrymple, Messrs H. Weir and W. A. Robyns, all of whom were warmly received. The great Wagner monument at Berlin will be unveiled by the Kaiser in October next. The composer is represented seated on a trench, his right hand uplifted as if listening to music. Naturally he is robed in the historic dressinggown. The monument will cost altogether near fifteen thousand pounds, ■which have been subscribed by Wagner lovers in all parts of the world. It is said that no Hohenzollem monarch has ever before unveiled a monument in honour of any poet or composer. Howard Chambers, the popular baritone. writes from New York to my colleague “Pnsquin”: I left Rickards a year ago, and landed in ’Frisco, under engagement to the Orpheum circuit. Worked four weeks in 'Frisco, and two weeks in Los Angeles, Cal., at 75d01. a week. I was very successful, and eanic through to New York, and was lueky in obtaining an engagement with the Bostonian Opera Company, one of the best shows in America. I opened as Will Scarlet in “Robin Hood” at a salary of £l5 a week. Have been re-engaged at a salary of £2O. We play “Robin Hood"’ and “The Serenade” at the Academy of Music in August. It is a tremendous theatre. We are to play at popular prices: Ido!., 75c., 50e.. and 25c.; or, 4/, 8/, 2/, and 1/. The managers here think they are ruined playing to such low prices, as they usually charge 6/ for the best seats; but I have seen J. C. Williamson’s shows—better - than ours -for 3/. But in Australia one does not need to pay £7 for a suit of clothes and 3/ for a beef steak. Things are dreadfully dear here. I have seen all the best vaudeville shows in America, and Rickards’ arc as good as any of them, and better than most. Ths houses in the East change every week—no act runs longer. There are so many “turns” that the man with the highpriced aet is idle one week out of every two. All the houses give three shows a day. Some of them are continuous — both Keith and Pastors are continuous. They show from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Good voices are scarce, but it is hard to get in. You can Imagine how salaries are when I get £2O a week. I go on the road next season. There is tons of talent over here, but a lot of it is no good for New Zealand. This is the place for rush and bustle. Remember me to all in good old New Zealand.